Growing Pains Alternate Version
by DracoMalfoysSweetGirl92
Summary: AU, What if they don't reach Morgan in time and he dies? How will Reid and the team cope with raising Christi? co-written with Daisyangel
1. Chapter 1

Two days. Two very long, grueling, mind numbing, sleepless days. That's how long Derek Anthony Morgan had been missing and how long Garcia had been looking through both Derek's work computer and personal computers for something that just might lead them to him. She had found on his personal computer so far that he had already been looking into schools for Christi. All of them the most prestigious schools in the area the grades starting from Pre-K until twelfth grade. She wondered how he could afford to send her there on a government pay check. So she went and looked into his financial records and sees that he has large trust fund in his name with enough money in there for Christi to go to any of those schools. She put that aside for the time being. She saw that he had a few old case files on his computer. She finds the Craig Williams case and she opens it and discovers that he had multiple factories in the area. The light bulb finally went off in her head about the comment he made on the last video. She squeals and calls Hotch right away.

"HOTCH! I GOT IT! I GOT IT!" she squeals with delight.

"Talk to me Garcia."

"Craig had multiple factories in the area! That's what Derek meant by 'keep the assembly line going'! I'm sending you all of the addresses now. And while I was looking I found out that Derek has a huge trust fund. But I'll tell you more later! Go find our Derek and bring him home. I have to go and take care of Christi who's screaming. I don't want her waking Reid up."

"Thanks Garcia." He said disconnecting the call.

Meanwhile with Derek in the factory.

He had been going in and out of consciousness for the last two days. He had given up on calling for help. He was just waiting for either Mike and John to come back and finish him off or for his internal organs to shut down. He just hated the fact that he wasn't going to see his little girl grow up, threaten and interrogate every boy she brought home then have Garcia run him through every data base known to man then do an extensive background check on him. He thought he heard the team come storming in, but he was too far gone to know for sure. He could feel his life slipping away. I love you Christi and Spencer, he thought as his eyes closed and he stopped breathing. XXXX

Meanwhile, the team was storming the third factory they'd checked out.

"FBI!" they all shouted as they ran in. All of the rooms appeared to be clear just like they'd been in the first two until JJ called out.

"I've found him! Hurry get the medics in here, now, he's not breathing!" The team and the medics rushed in.

"Move back, we need room," the head medic demanded. Garcia and Reid were listening from the safe house they'd been moved to with the baby until Derek was found. Both of them were barely breathing and Christi seemed to sense the tension and started to whimper slightly. The medics worked anxiously but couldn't get him to breathe. One of them looked up at the somber group of FBI agents in front of him and shook his head sadly. JJ and Emily both burst into tears and Rossi and Hotch had to fight not to do the same. Reid and Garcia knew what happened, but they both refused to believe it until the medic said it aloud.

"Time of death, 2:35 PM August 31, 2010. I'm so sorry for your loss." At those words, Reid who'd been standing holding Christi felt his legs give out and he collapsed to the floor. He nearly dropped Christi and she would have fallen if Garcia hadn't grabbed her at the last minute. Christi's whimpers turned to loud frightened sobs when that happened. Garcia also started to cry, but tried to stay as calm as she could so she didn't scare Christi anymore than she already was. Spencer was curled on the floor sobbing and whispering something she couldn't make out. Listening for a moment she figured it out.

"No, Derek, why did you have to leave me? Why?"


	2. Chapter 2

Walking up to the daycare center at the BAU now a month after losing Derek, Reid carries the still sleeping Christi. The head daycare worker Samantha smiles. Reid had taken off from when they lost Derek until today. Today was his first day back in a month. She had missed seeing Christi everyday. But she knew that both Reid and Christi needed some bonding time together since he was now her legal guardian until she was eighteen.

"Good Morning Dr. Reid and welcome back. How are you and Christi doing?"

"We're doing good thanks for asking Sam."

"That's good."

"She's still sound asleep."

"That's okay. She'll be fine, Dr. Reid. You don't have to worry about her." She said smiling as she senses the tension rolling off of him.

"Sorry." He says sheepishly.

"It's completely fine." Reluctantly he hands the sleeping Christi over to Samantha. He pauses at the door unsure if he can leave her. They have hardly been apart since Derek's death. Having just dropped Henry off JJ gave her friend a sad smile as she walked out.

"C'mon Spence, we've got to get to work. She'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know your right," Spencer answered hugging her quickly in thanks before walking down the hall ready to start his first day back at the BAU without his lover. XXXX

He knew it would be hard, but he didn't realize just how hard until he entered the bullpen and saw Derek's desk. Garcia had packed up Derek's things and brought them to Reid's where he and Christi were now living. He knew Hotch had hired a replacement agent, but that they wouldn't start for another week or so. Even though they all knew he had to do it, no one liked the idea of someone trying to replace Morgan.

"Hey, welcome back, Reid. Did you get Christi dropped off okay at the daycare?" Emily asked when she spotted the genius.

"Hey there, Em. Yeah, she's just fine. It's good to be back, but hard at the same time."

"I understand exactly what you mean," she replied.

"Conference room, now," Hotch called walking across the cat walk.

"No time for just easing back into things, huh?" Reid teased trying to smile.

"Nope, not at all," Emily agreed.

TBC?


	3. Chapter 3

They had just gotten back from their case in Billings Montana. They'd left the Monday Reid had came back and had just gotten home the Wednesday of the week two weeks later. A nice older lady named Isabel had offered to care for Christi when Reid had to go out of town for cases. Garcia had checked her out and she'd came back completely clean.

"Good work, everyone. Go home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow," Hotch told them.

"Okay, see you guys tomorrow," JJ said.

"Yeah, bye," Emily and Garcia said in unison.

"See you, Hotch, Reid," Rossi said.

"Hey, Reid, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hotch requested.

"Sure," Reid answered. He was curious to see what the unit chief needed.

"I'm getting pressure from the higher-ups to hire a new agent. Unfortunately they're making me have him start tomorrow. I just didn't want you to be blind-sighted when you walked in tomorrow," Hotch said.

"Thanks for the heads up, Hotch," Reid said softly.

"You're welcome; I really wish I didn't have to do this. No one can ever replace Morgan. He was a one of a kind agent and a one of a kind person," Hotch said getting slightly choked up.

"That he was, Hotch, that he was. Well, I guess I'd better be going, see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Reid," Hotch answered.

"Hey Hotch?"

"Yes?"

"I don't blame you for replacing Derek; I know you don't have a choice."

"That means a lot to me," Hotch said as he watched the younger man leave. Heaving a sad sigh he glanced at the picture of Morgan sitting on Reid's desk. No one will ever be able to replace you, Morgan, he thought sadly. Taking one last look around he knew he didn't have any other choice. He glanced at the picture one more time, then headed home to his wife and child. XXXX

The BAU was buzzing with curiosity when Reid got their the next morning. Entering the bullpen he saw why. There was a tall brown-haired man sitting at Derek's desk. Everyone was staring at him. None of them had very friendly expressions on their faces. They all knew this was Morgan's replacement and they didn't like it. He looked to be slightly uncomfortable. Knowing how that felt, Reid decided to try and be welcoming even though part of him resented this guy because he was replacing Derek.

"Hi, I'm Spencer Reid, but everyone just calls me Reid," he introduced holding out his hand.

"Hi, my name is Riggo, it's nice to meet you," he said shaking Reid's hand. Following Reid's example the others introduced themselves as well. Looking at everyone, Reid could tell they were having just as hard of a time with this as he was. Especially Garcia, she was being polite, but not her normal cheerful self. Just then Reid's cell rang.

"Reid," he answered.

"Hi, Dr. Reid, this is Sam at the daycare. Christi's pulling on her ears and crying. Do you have any medicine for her?"

"Yeah, I forgot to give it to you. The doctor said she had an ear infection, according to Isabel. I can't believe I forgot to give it to you. I'll be down to give it to you in just a minute."

"Okay, see you then," Sam said hanging up.

"Our Christi has an ear infection?" Garcia asked frowning.

"Yeah, thankfully they caught it early so hopefully it clears up fast. I should get the medicine down to the daycare. Tell Hotch if he comes looking for me, will you?"

"You got it, Spence," JJ answered. Just as he was leaving he heard Riggo ask if Christi was Reid and Garcia's.

"No, Christi's father died recently and made Reid her legal guardian," Emily answered. She decided that this new guy didn't need to know the entire story. She wasn't sure quite why, but she didn't trust him. It wasn't just because he was replacing Derek, it was something more. She hoped she was wrong, but she had a funny feeling she wasn't. XXXX

Three days later. An exhausted Reid came shuffling into the FBI. His eyes were bloodshot and his appearance just looked off.

"Morning, Dr. Reid, are you doing okay? You don't look so well," Sam commented in concern as she took a babbling Christi into her arms.

"Oh, yes, I'm okay. I just didn't sleep well," he admitted sheepishly.

"Okay, if you say so. Well, we'll see you after work, say bye, Christi." The baby smiled at Spencer before Samantha headed into the daycare and placed her on a blanket to play with some toys.

"See you then," he said sluggishly as he trudge down the hall. XXXX

His arrival in the BAU went unnoticed at first and for that he was thankful. He sank into his seat and placed his head into his hands. He was unaware that someone was standing next to him until Emily spoke.

"Are you okay, Reid?"

"Huh?" he asked raising his head. The brunette gasped when she caught sight of his bloodshot eyes and unkempt appearance.

"What happened to you honey?" she asked worriedly. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"No, I didn't," he answered reluctantly. At Emily's question and Reid's answer JJ and Garcia turned to look at the pair. Identical expressions of worry crossed their face

"Christi keep you up?" JJ wondered.

"No, it wasn't that. She slept fine," Reid replied.

"Nightmares?" Emily guessed. Reid shook his head. He could feel the tears building behind his eyes again and he didn't want to cry right then. Reflexively he looked down at his desk and his gaze zeroed in on the calendar, specifically that days date. Emily followed Spencer's gaze and her body froze when she realized what he was looking at.

"Oh my, oh no. I can't believe it's today," she cried bursting into tears.

"I know, Em," he said shakily.

"It's too soon to deal with this," she said as she cried. To hell with it, Spencer thought as he stood up and pulled his friend into a hug and buried his face in her hair as he allowed his own tears to fall.

"Um, hey guys?" Garcia called. Neither agent seemed to hear her.

"What's wrong Em, Spence?" JJ asked.

"D-d-d-Derek's birthday," Emily sobbed. The media liaison and the computer tech were confused for a moment until they glanced at the calendar on the wall and saw that it was in fact Morgan's birthday. Moving across the bullpen they joined the hug as their own tears began to fall. Riggo who had arrived during all this just settled at his desk. He didn't feel comfortable asking what was wrong. It was no secret that the rest of the team didn't like him, and he could understand why. He was replacing someone important to them. The only one he had a problem with was Reid. There just seemed to be something off about him, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Rossi and Hotch sped up their pace when they heard the crying. Hotch had just dropped Jack off at the daycare. Haley had strep throat and he didn't want Jack to get it so he volunteered to take him to the Quantico Daycare that week. The sight of the three women and Reid in a tight group hug all four of them crying didn't settle well with either agent. They both shared a brief confused look.

"Any idea what that's all about?" Rossi whispered. Hotch shook his head thoughtfully as he glanced around the room. His eyes swept over the calendar without looking at then his gaze moved back to it. That was when he realized why everyone was so upset.

"Morgan's birthday," he mouthed to Dave. Nodding in understanding the two senior agents made their way over and quickly joined the group hug. Normally they wouldn't do such a thing, but this wasn't an ordinary circumstance. After another couple minutes everyone seemed to calm down and collect themselves.

"Is everyone able to work today despite the fact that it's Morgan's birthday?" Hotch asked.

"Yeah, that's what Derek would want us to do," Garcia said sniffling.

"Pen's right," Reid whispered.

"Okay, if at any point you feel you need to take a break, do so. If you need to go home, I'll allow it. Strauss be damned. If she has a problem with it, she can deal with me," he growled. The others smiled at Hotch's words. XXXX

The rest of the day went by without incident. A little after lunch time, Riggo walked over to Reid.

"Can I ask you a couple questions about Morgan?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sure, I guess?" Reid answered puzzled.

"Well, actually, it's about you and he. Were you together? Because from the pictures on your desk and some of the comments the others have made it seems like you were, but I don't want to assume. You know what they say about assuming," Riggo chuckled. Spencer gave a dry chuckle.

"Yes I do, and yes, Derek and I were together. We'd only been dating for two months when he was killed," Reid said.

"Oh, I see," Riggo replied turning and heading back to his desk leaving a confused Reid in his wake. XXXX

"If it's okay with you, I was thinking about taking Christi for the night? It would give you sometime to deal with things if you want?" Garcia offered.

"Sure, I'd like that, thanks. You know you don't have to do that, though, don't you, Pen?"

"Of course I know that, but I want to. For one thing she's my goddaughter. For another Derek asked me to take care of you and Christi," she said.

"What do you mean?" Reid questioned.

"When I was going through his personal belongings in his desk I found a letter addressed to me. It was written just after Christi was in the hospital and you two had started dating even though none of us knew it then. In the letter he asked me to take care of you and Christi for him, so that's what I'm doing," Garcia finished.

"Well, then, by all means, you have to honor Derek's wishes," Reid said with his first real smile of the day.

"I'll get her from daycare and head on out if that's okay?" Garcia checked.

"Yeah, give her a kiss for me. I've got to stay and finish this report," Reid said turning back to his computer.

"Will do, baby cakes," she said hugging him then leaving him to his work. XXXX

Spencer thought he was the last one to leave when he finally headed out of the bullpen around 6:30. As soon as he reached the parking garage, he found out differently. He was brought to his knees by a hard blow to the back of his head. Hitting the ground hard he curled into a tight ball and placed his arms over his head. Looking through his arms he saw Riggo standing in front of him.

"People like you make me sick. Fagot, you're filth," he snarled as he began beating Spencer. Spencer knew calling out wouldn't do him any good. No one would hear him. He wasn't sure if the security cameras in the garage actually worked or if they were just a ploy to make people think they were being watched. He hoped they were actually working. He'd have to ask Garcia if he lived through this. "I can't believe they let a fagot adopt a child." The beating went on for what felt like hours, but was really only a couple of minutes. Hearing a sound from far off, Riggo jumped up and took off running. Ever-so-slowly, Reid climbed to his feet and made his way shakily to his car. Somehow he managed to get home safely. Arriving home he headed straight for a hot shower and some Ibuprofen. He could see the bruises forming, and he had one hell of a headache. XXXX

The next day went off without a problem. At least until Rossi tried to get his attention. He was so deep in his work that he didn't hear Dave calling for him.

"Hey, Reid?" Dave called tapping the younger man on the shoulder. Instantly the genius flinched and jerked away from Rossi's touch.

"Uh, yeah?"

"I was just asking if you had the consult on the Virginia Beach case done," Dave explained.

"Oh, yeah, here it is," Reid said handing him the report.

"Is everything okay? You seem a little jumpy."

"Everything's fine, I was just involved in my work," Reid dismissed the question easily. Rossi nodded but he couldn't help but think the kid was lying. XXXX

"Now that you mention it, he's seemed really jumpy today," JJ said as she, Emily, Rossi, Garcia, and Hotch sat around in Hotch's office. Riggo was still out for lunch and Reid had gone down to the daycare to spend sometime with Christi before his lunch hour ended.

"He seemed to be moving rather gingerly like he was in pain," Emily put in.

"Yeah, and I saw him wince in pain when he shifted in his seat," Hotch noted.

"I get the feeling someone hurt him, but he's too afraid to tell us," Garcia said sadly.

"So do I, Garcia," Dave agreed.

"Well, unfortunately, we can't do anything until either he comes to us, or we catch someone hurting him or threatening to hurt him," Hotch said. "Now, let's get back to work before he gets back. Otherwise, he'll be suspicious." They all went their separate ways, all with one thing on their mind, Spencer Reid and who had hurt him. XXXX

Spencer was surprised when he reached the garage carrying Christi to find Riggo standing next to his car waiting for him. He debated if he should run back in the building and get the team, but the other agent didn't give him that option. Moving forward, he began punching and hitting Reid. Reid did his best to hold on tightly to the dozing Christi. A solid kick to his stomach sent him to the ground and nearly caused him to lose his grip on the five-month-old. His blood began to boil when Riggo yanked Christi from his arms and slapped her hard across the face. She started to cry so he did it again. As he was hitting Christi he was continuously kicking Reid.

"Don't hurt her!" Reid growled trying to climb to his feet.

"She's a fagot child, she deserves to be punished," Riggo yelled slapping Christi once more and delivering the hardest kick yet to Reid's stomach. Unknown to both men, Hotch had just got Jack from the daycare and was walking into the garage. Seeing Christi being slapped and Reid being brutally kicked by the agent who was replacing Morgan made Hotch's blood boil. Carefully he sat Jack on the bench that was right next to the door where people could sit to take off winter snow boots and put on the shoes they would wear to work.

"Daddy needs you to stay here, can you do that for me, Jack?" he asked addressing his son. Jack nodded and continued to "read" his 10 Little Monkeys book. Crossing the garage in three long strides, he forcefully but gently took Christi from Riggo's arms and with the baby tucked securely in one arm he tackled him and cuffed him. Glancing over at Reid he saw that he was breathing, but that he was in a lot of pain.

"Reid, can you hear me? It's Hotch, talk to me, Reid."

"I… hear… you…" Reid choked out between labored breaths.

"Do you think you can hold Christi? I have to call the team and keep tabs on this guy," Hotch snarled kicking Riggo in the ribs.

"Yeah, hand her to me," Reid gasped out.

"Okay, here you go," Hotch said placing the screaming baby into her adoptive father's arms. Instantly the baby calmed down. Grabbing for his cell he called Dave. He'd get the team to the garage ASAP.

"Rossi," came the other man's voice.

"Get the team and get to the garage now! We have a situation here," Hotch growled.

"Does it involve Reid?" Rossi asked a pit forming in his stomach.

"Yes it does," Hotch answered in a clipped tone.

"We'll be there in two minutes," Rossi responded.

"Okay, and Dave?"

"Yes?"

"Call 911," Hotch said before hanging up. After ensuring that he'd subdued Riggo he hurried over to Spencer and Christi.

"Reid, are you still with me?" he asked. Reid didn't give any indication he'd even heard the unit chief.

"Spencer, talk to me. Are you still with me?" Hotch tried. Hearing his boss use his first name pulled Reid from the darkness he'd been hovering in front of.

"Y-y-yes, sleppy," Reid whispered. His voice was laced with pain and Hotch grew even more angry at the cuffed man on the ground.

"No, you need to stay awake for me, can you do that?" Hotch checked. Slowly Reid nodded then winced in pain.

"Did he beat you up yesterday as well?" Hotch demanded. He needed answers, and he needed them now. Spencer was about to lie, but Hotch stopped him. "You need to know that if it happened in this garage, the cameras do work, they're not just for show. I'll have Garcia look at them if you don't tell me the truth. She'll have to look at them anyway to help establish a case against him," Hotch admitted.

"Yesterday after work. He said I was a fag and filth. He said he couldn't believe he let a fag adopt a child. Today he slapped Christi just because she's a child of a gay man," Reid explained. Just then he started to cough and Hotch panicked when he saw a stream of blood leave the geniuses mouth. Riggo had done more damage than he'd originally thought. He was never so glad to hear running footsteps and the sirens at the same time. That meant that medics and his team were both there now. XXXX

Hanging up, Rossi tore out of his office and rushed down the stairs.

"Parking garage now, Reid's in trouble!" he yelled as he ran through the bullpen. The rest of the team jumped and ran after him.

"What's going on?" asked JJ as she came from the bathroom where she'd been changing Henry.

"Spencer's in trouble! Now hurry!" Dave yelled as he dialed 911 on his cell phone.

"Yes, this is Agent David Rossi of the FBI. We need paramedics at the FBI building parking garage and we need them now. Okay, thank you," Rossi said snapping his phone shut.

"Rossi, talk to us," Garcia demanded.

"Hotch called and told me to get everyone to the parking garage that we have a situation. I asked if it dealt with Reid and he said yes. Then he told me to call the paramedics and get our asses down their." The three women picked up their pace at Rossi's words. They reached the door to the garage just as the medics rushed in. The four agents took everything in at a glance.

"Son of a bitch!" Dave swore.

"What the hell happened, Hotch?" Emily cried.

"Riggo beat the shit out of Reid and also hit Christi multiple times because he's gay and because he's raising her," Hotch replied. Everyone stared at the unit chief in shocked silence until the silence was broken when one of the paramedics tried to remove Christi from Reid's arms and she began screaming.

TBC?

A/n, read and review!


	4. Chapter 4

Both Christi and Spencer were admitted to the hospital for the night. Christi appeared to be okay other than a few bruises on her cheek but due to her age, they wanted to observe her and make sure she didn't have a concussion. Spencer was definitely a little worse for wear. He had several bruises, a concussion as a result of yesterday's blow, and three cracked ribs. One of them had nicked his left lung which is why he was coughing up blood. It would heal on it's own as well as the ribs. He'd just be in a lot of pain while that happened. He was finally sleeping having been told that Christi was doing fine in the peds ward of the hospital. After the medics, and the three girls left with Spencer and Christi, Hotch and Rossi beat the hell out of Riggo until the police got their. The officers were none to gentle when they yanked him to his feet. He was charged with two counts of first degree assault, one count of child endangerment, and two counts of discrimination and enacting a hate crime. Spencer was relieved to learn that he'd been fired from the bureau and he'd be in jail for a long time. He could feel sleep pulling him under. XXXX

He found himself in a dream. He was still in the hospital bed, but he felt someone looking at him. Glancing to his left he saw Derek sitting in the chair beside the bed.

"D-d-derek?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, I'm here," Derek answered with a sad smile.

"But I don't understand, how can you be here? You're dead," Spencer protested.

"It's part of your dream. I'm here to talk about what Riggo did to you and Christi. I needed to know you're both okay. I just came from her room. She looks beautiful, you're doing an amazing job raising her," Derek complimented.

"Thank you, she's an amazing little baby. She's fine, accept for some bruises. I'm okay as well, nothing that won't heal," Reid said lightly.

"No, don't just brush it off. He beat the shit out of you and the only reason I'm not going to haunt his ass is because Rossi and Hotch and the rest of the team has put him away for a long time. I'm so sorry he hurt you. I wish I could take away your pain," Derek said sadly.

"I don't care about the pain. I just wish I could I could have one more day with you. Christi and I deserve that," Spencer said, tears in his eyes.

"I know, babe, and I wish I could give you that. I fought as hard as I could in that factory. I'm so sorry, I left you both," Derek replied tears in his eyes as well. Both guys were crying by this point. Derek could feel something pulling at him. "I have to go, Spencer."

"No, not yet, please. Just kiss me one more time, please," he begged brokenly. Leaning in Derek kissed Spencer's lips gently. Pulling back he whispered.

"I love you, Spencer Reid."

"I love you to, Derek Morgan," Spencer whispered just as Derek's face blurred and he faded away. XXXX

Waking up, Spencer felt peaceful for the first time in a little over a month. He'd been given the chance to tell Derek goodbye, at last.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review! Also, please go vote for this cause! Thanks for all your hard work in August we still have a chance to win the grant, so keep voting in September! Text the number 101913 to Pepsi (73774) each day in September to vote for the 2011 NFB Youth Slam or visit www. refresheverything .com / nfbyouth slam where you can vote for the NFB 2011 Youth Slam, once per day, throughout the month of September. Please vote everyday! Repost everyone!

P.S. Take out the spaces in the link in order for it to work!


	5. Chapter 5

It's been two long years now since Derek's death. Christi is an exact copy of Derek. She has his smile, eyes, and dimples when she smiles. Spencer had just put Christi to bed after a long day at the park for the annual picnic. She had been running around playing with Jack, Henry and all the other kids there. She had tuckered herself out and fell asleep in her booster seat on the way home. She still sucked her fingers and he was working on breaking that habit of hers because he knew she would eventually need braces in the future if she kept that up. He goes back out into the living room and lies on the couch and turns on the TV and puts Nova on. Just as he got settled on the couch Christi let out a screech from her room and he jumps up and runs into her room. He flips on the light then in two strides he crosses the room and gets to her bed. He picks up the frightened toddler and holds her close to him.

"Papa want daddy. Want daddy!" she whimpers.

Spencer tenses up and hesitates.

She pulls back and looks at him.

"Papa?"

"Let me go and call Aunt JJ okay Chrissie Lynn?"

She nods and lays her head on his shoulder still whimpering and crying.

He goes and sets her down on her bed. Then he goes and calls JJ in an emotional wreck.

"Jareau." Came JJ's tired voice from the long day.

"Jen? Can you come over here please? Christi is asking for Derek and I have no idea on what to do. Please help me." He says in tears.

"Oh sweetie! I'll be right there! Will has off tonight so he can watch Henry. I'll be there in fifteen minutes okay?"

"'Kay." He said.

Fifteen minutes later JJ was at the house and let herself in and followed the sound of Christi's cries up to her bedroom. She gets there and finds Spencer pacing the room rubbing her back trying to get her back to sleep or at the very least to calm down. She could see that he was at his wits end. She knew it hadn't been easy for him the last two years raising Christi on his own as a single parent but he was doing it really well. She goes over and scoops her from Spencer's arms, and holds her close.

"Spence go lay down. Let me take care of her."

He nods and leaves.

"Ant JJ want daddy! Where daddy! WANT DADDY!" the upset two year old wails and demands. She had hit her terrible twos and had a tendency to demand. She had very good manners when she wanted too.

"Shh, baby, Daddy can't be here," JJ whispered settling in the rocking chair Spencer had kept in the corner of her room.

"Why?" Christi wondered tears still sliding down her face.

"You know how Papa takes you to see him and he told you that your daddy's with the angels?" JJ explained. The toddler nodded as her sobs subsided slightly.

"Well, he has to stay with the angels, now. He's up in heaven, but guess what?"

"What?"

"He's always watching you. He can see you play and ride your tricycle and everything you do."

"See me park?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, he saw you at the park playing with all the other kids today. Your daddy will always be watching over you. Now what do you say you go back to sleep?" the mother suggests as she walks over and tucks the tired little girl back into her bed.

"Spunky," Christi cried, searching for the stuffed cat Derek had given her when she'd come home from the hospital.

"Here you go, night, sweetie, love you," JJ said, kissing her cheek then closing the door most of the way after making sure the nightlight was on and working. XXXX

Standing in the hallway, the media liaison listened for a moment. She thought she heard something, but she wasn't sure. Listening for another moment she realized what she'd heard. The sound of muffled sobbing reached the blonde's ears and she felt her heart break just a little bit more. Walking into Spencer's room she finds him on the bed trying to muffle his sobs in his pillow. His body is shaking and she can tell he's really struggling to breathe. Climbing on to the bed she settles next to him and pulls him into her arms. Guiding his head to rest on her chest she tries to give what comfort she can. With one hand she runs her fingers through his hair while rubbing his back just like she'd done for his daughter, moments before.

"I c-c-can't do this, Jayje. I can't do this anymore. It's killing me not having him here. Hearing her cry for him tonight nearly did me in. I'm not strong enough to do this. What was I thinking when I told Derek I'd take care of her if something happened to him? How in the hell can I care for Christi when I can't even take care of myself? I'm such a failure." At this point he was crying uncontrollably.

"You listen to me, Spencer Nicholas Reid! Derek wouldn't have asked you to take care of Christi if he didn't think you could do it," she argued.

"But I'm not who she wants, JJ. She's crying for her daddy, and I can't bring him back for her. I can't give her the one thing she wants. Hell, I can't give us the thing we both want. I want him back so bad, Jen. I'm slowly breaking and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it."

"Oh, Spence, that's not true. She just had a bad dream and that's why she called out for him. She loves you and she needs you just as much as you need her," JJ said softly.

"I don't know about that. Maybe I should have let Fran and the girls take her when they approached me at Derek's funeral," Spencer said not able to look JJ in the eye. JJ jerked back as if she'd been slapped.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Fran, Sarah, and Des approached me after the funeral," Reid explained as he thought back on that day a little over two years ago. XXXX

Everyone had left accept for the team and Derek's mom and sisters. The team had moved back to give them, Reid and Christi a chance to say goodbye to Derek in private. A very somber Spencer stood in front of the grave holding a sleeping Christi.

"Goodbye, Derek, I love you so much. Christi loves you to. We're both going to miss you. I'll take good care of her." He was unable to say anything else due to the tears clogging his throat. Gently he threw down the dirt he was holding and backed away. He nearly bumped into Derek's mother as she stood behind him.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's quite alright, Spencer. You were very special to my Derek. He loved you more than anything else in this world. The only one who he loved more than you is this little sweetheart," Fran said gazing with tear eyes at her granddaughter.

"I loved him to. I know that Christi was the apple of his eye," Spencer said.

"Yes, that she was. I came over here to talk to you about something," Fran admitted.

"What's that?" Spencer asked.

"I know that Derek has listed in his will that he wants you to take care of Christi, but I'm here to offer you another alternative. The girls and I would be happy to have her come live with us. You could see her anytime you want. I just know it won't be easy for you to raise her on your own. I should know, I raised three little ones on my own after Derek's father died," she concluded.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no. Derek asked to take care of her if something happened to him, and that's what I intend to do. The three of you are welcome to see her anytime you like. I'll do my best to bring her to Chicago as often as I can so she can see you. I want her to know you guys."

"That means a lot to us. She's our last link to Derek," Des said sniffling.

"I understand," Spencer answered.

"Take care of her and yourself," Sarah said hugging him then kissing Christi on the forehead.

"I will," Spencer said as he watched the three women say goodbye then head back to the car they'd arrived in. XXXX

JJ was crying by the end of Spencer's story.

"I wondered what they were saying to you, but I knew it wasn't any of my business. You can do this Spence. I know it's hard right now, but eventually it will get easier. You can't go back on your promise to Derek, now, can you?" JJ reminded him gently.

"No, I can't, and I don't really want to. I'm just tired and having trouble keeping my head above water," Spencer reluctantly admitted.

"You're not in this alone, Spence, you know that, don't you?" JJ checked.

"Yeah, I know that, but you guys have your own families. You and Will have Henry, Rossi's got whatever Rossi has, and Hotch is trying to cope with only getting to see Jack when Haley lets him."

"I can't believe she just divorced him while we were on a case," JJ exclaimed.

"Neither can I, but that's my point, you all have your own problems. Em's trying to help Hotch and Garcia, well, she's Garcia, she's trying to do everything," Spencer finished.

"That's true, but Spence, lean on us, okay? That's what we're here for. Let us help you once and a while."

"Yes, ma'am. I will," Spencer promised. A yawn cut off his words.

"Do you think you'll be okay if I go home?" JJ wondered.

"We'll be fine, thanks for coming over," Spencer said.

"You're welcome, just remember what I said about letting us help you," she ordered.

"I will, goodnight, JJ. See you tomorrow," Spencer said as he settled back on his pillow and drifted off to what JJ hoped would be a peaceful sleep. She made a mental note to talk to the rest of the team and make sure they all did a better job of keeping tabs on Spencer and Christi and helping them out.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review!


	6. Chapter 6

It's now Christi's first day of kindergarten and she's clinging to Spencer refusing to let go.

"NO!" she cries clinging tighter to Spencer.

"Come kiddo you'll be fine I'll be back later to pick you up I promise.

"NO! Papa no go! Christi go with Papa! Papa no go!" she wails.

Spencer sighs and gently pries her off of his leg as her teachers comes over.

"Hi sweetie. I'm your teacher, Mrs. Neugaard. But you can call me Mrs. N."

"No." she says shaking her head.

"Hey there are some other kids over there playing with some blocks, finger painting and coloring. You want to go and join them?"

Christi peaks over at the kids finger painting timidly.

"You want to go and finger paint?" her teacher asks.

She nods nervously.

"Okay, why don't give your papa a big hug and kiss then we can go over to them together."

She nods and gives Reid a big hug and gives him a kiss.

"Bye Papa, love you." She says.

"Bye baby girl love you too. Be a good girl okay?"

"Yes, papa." She says.

"Good girl see you at three."

She nods and takes her teachers held out hand and she leads her over to the kids finger painting. XXX

Arriving at the BAU Reid sighs and heads over to his desk. JJ comes in from getting her coffee and looks at him.

"Hey Reid you just getting here?" she asks.

"Yea, Christi refused to let go of my leg when I went to drop her off. She was still crying when I left. I feel so bad. I think I'm starting her in there to soon."

"She has first day jitters sweetie. Henry was the same way. She'll be fine. Trust me. When you go and pick her up at three she wont be able to stop talking about her day."

Spencer sighs and nods.

They get to work and when lunch rolls around Spencer has to stop himself from going down to the day care like he usually did.

"Spencer she's fine. Stop worrying about her." Emily said from her place in Hotch's lap since they were at the local diner for lunch.

"I know. I just can't help it."

"It's fine. It will get easier as the month goes. Pretty soon all she'll run right over to her friends when you bring her to the classroom." Garcia said.

Reid smiles and nods. Garcia was right. Christi was growing up so fast. She was already four. He couldn't believe that she had grown up so fast. He knew pretty soon she was going to be a teenager and rebelling against him and doing every other teenage thing. He just hopes that she doesn't rebel to much or to bad. He wasn't sure of how much he could handle. Fran, Des and Sarah told him of how much Derek rebelled until he met Carl Buford and got on the right track again.

When three rolls around Spencer couldn't be happier. He went right over to the school and waited out front with all the other parents. When the bell rang all the kids ran out of the school and Christi came bolting over to him with her pigtails dashing back and forth as she ran. She gets right over to him and jumps on him.

"PAPA!" she squeals as he picks her up and kisses her cheek as she hugs him tightly.

"Hey kiddo how was school?"

"Good! I love school! I can't wait for tomorrow!" she giggles.

"Good I'm glad you liked school. Now how about we go home and get you changed out of your school uniform and then get a snack?"

She smiles and nods.

Derek had also said in his will that he wanted his trust fund that his dad had left him to use for Christi's education. Spencer had gotten her into Baker Academy which was one of the schools Derek had been looking at before he was killed. The school was privet and a prestigious school so they had to wear uniforms and that included the preschoolers and the kindergartners.


	7. Chapter 7

In an undisclosed location in the Virginia area, a man paces around a room. He's very agitated and frustrated. He desperately wants to know how his family is. He knows his little girl was due to start school this year. He wanted to know how it had gone. It was killing him to be away from his family, but he didn't have any other choice. A long time ago, he'd been working undercover and had been threatened by a major drug lord. He'd been able to ignore his threats until he was released from jail. Then because he knew the drug lord would come after his family and him, he along with the FBI made decision to send him into hiding. This meant faking his death. This man was Derek Morgan, now known as Nathaniel Williams. XXXX

All of a sudden, his handler who was also his partner, Jake Waller walked into the room he was in. He worked, lived, shopped, and did everything in this building. He literally couldn't go out into the public without extreme precautions.

"I want information on my daughter and my boyfriend," Derek demanded.

"I can't give you that," Jake answered.

"Why the hell not? They're my family."

"No, they aren't anymore, Nathan. You are no longer Derek Morgan. You won't ever be able to be him again until the drug lord who wants you dead is dead," Jake growls.

"Damn it, tell me now!" Derek yells as he dives at Jake and begins hitting him. XXXX

Just then the door opens and in walks Hotch.

"Derek! Stop it!" he ordered. Hearing his given name stopped the Chicago native in his tracks. Jake pulled himself from the other man's grasp and stared wide-eyed at him.

"What are you doing here, Hotch?" Derek asked in surprise.

"I was coming here to check in on you." Hotch was the only one on the team that knew Derek was alive and undercover.

"How are Spencer and Christi?"

They're doing fine. He had a bit of a hard time taking her to school yesterday, but, when he picked her up she told him she loved it. I brought pictures," Hotch said pulling out the photographs and handed them to Derek.

"She's growing up so fast," Derek murmured looking at the picture.

"Yes she is, and Spencer's doing a wonderful job raising her. Your mom and sisters come out to visit twice a year and Christi and Spencer go to Chicago for two weeks every summer," Hotch informed him.

"Thanks for these, I wanna see them so bad, though," Derek protested.

"No, you nearly blew your cover when you went to the hospital when she was a baby and that agent had beaten him up," Jake snarled. Derek nodded dejectedly, he knew Jake was right, but it didn't mean he had to like it. XXXX

Two weeks later.

"We have a case," JJ called as she walked by the bullpen and headed for the conference room. The rest of the team followed her lead.

"What have we got, JJ?" Emily wondered.

"I'm not running this one, Hotch is," she said defering to the unit chief.

"So what do we have?" Rossi repeated Emily's question.

"The unsub has killed 10 women in five days. The police in Washington DC are asking for our help," Hotch said. Hitting the remote, JJ brought up the pictures on the screen.

"All the women are white females between the ages of 20 and 30. They are found in areas where the drug dealers are popular. Normally we wouldn't help on a case like this, but with so many victims in a little over a week, they're overwhelmed and desperate," the media liaison explained.

"What's his signature and MO? Does he kill the same type of women? What's his victimology?" Reid asks looking up from the file.

"They vary which is another reason why they've called us in." Hotch said.

Reid nods as he leans back in his seat.

"Okay people we leave in 60." Hotch said walking out.

Everyone gets up and follows suit and calls Isabel so that she knows she needs to pick up Christi for him and watch her until he gets back.

A couple of hours later the team meets Jake, Nathan, and a few other officers at the newest crime scene.

Hotch introduces everyone to them and Reid looks directly at Nathan's upper left arm and sees the tattoo there. It was the same exact one Derek had!

"Derek!" Reid said going wide eyed.

"Reid, what are you talking about? Derek's been gone for a while now. He's not here sweetie." JJ says.

"HE'S STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!" Reid snaps.

JJ backs off as Reid RARELY ever snapped like that. He only did that when he got really frustrated or agitated.

"Reid, Derek isn't here." Emily says.

"YES HE IS! HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT "NATHAN" HERE IS DEREK!" he growls.

Jake and Derek look over at Hotch with a look that says for him to do something before he blows Derek's cover.

"Reid!" he nearly shouts.

Reid stops and looks over at Hotch.

"Go home. You're off the case. Go and spend some time with Christi."

"Hotch…"

"Go!" he growls.

Reid sighs and nods and leaves. When he gets out side and kicks the tire and snorts. He knew Derek when he saw him! And Nathan was Derek!

After a few hours of driving it was already dark and past Christi's bedtime. He pulls up to the house and sees the living room light on. Isabel must still be up, he thought to himself.

He gets out and grabs his bag and heads inside unlocking the door and walking in to have Clooney jump all over him wagging his tail.

"Hey buddy." He said scratching his ears.

"Spencer, darlin' what are you doing home?"

"Hotch took me off the case. I really don't want to talk about it."

"It's okay sweetie you don't need to talk about it. Christi is in bed sleeping soundly. She was stubborn about going down but she eventually went to sleep."

"That's good, thanks Isabel. No problem sweetie. Night. Sleep well."

"I'll try. Thanks." He smiles as he sees her out.

After she leave he locks up for the night then goes into Christi's room and leans against the door way watching her sleep. She was on her right side facing the door with Spunky clutched against her tiny chest tightly. He sighs and goes over to her and sits next to her and brushes some strand of her hair out of her face. She was up and looks up him sleeply.

"Papa?" she whispers sleepy.

"It's me kiddo. You wanna sleep with me tonight?"

She nods and holds her free arm up to him. He smiles and picks her up and carries her into his room and lies her on the bed then goes into the bathroom and changes into his pajamas and lies down and gently lies her on his chest and rubs her back to get her back to sleep.

Back in Washington DC.

The team is working on closing the case and they're coming close to catching the unsub. Hotch and Derek are talking privately.

"That was a close on earlier. But wasn't that a little harsh Hotch? It's not his fault its mine. I should have worn a longer sleeved shirt."

"Even if he didn't see that tattoo there is still a good chance he would have recognized you; and I have to be hard on his because if I didn't he would have kept pushing the subject and blown your cover."

Derek sighs and says, "You have a point. Damn I wish that someone would just kill the fucker. I'm sick and tired of this. I have to watch my own kid grow up through fucking photos. I can't even be there to watch her grow up."

"I know it is. But we're going to get him Derek. We're gonna get this SOB and bring you home."

He sighs and nods as he gets a call on his cell.

"Williams." He says.

"We have Robert Bell. We found him shot to death like all the others." Jake said.

"Damn." Derek growls.

"Yea. Get here ASPA."

"We will." Derek said snapping his cell shut.

"what's up?"

"Our one link to Jimmie was killed like all the other drug thugs." He sighs.

Hotch sighs and nods as they head to the crime scene.

Early the next morning the team closed the case and were heading back to Quantico. After they all get back they finish up the last of the paper work and then they all head home for a long weekend that Hotch had given them.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you about ready, Christi?" Spencer called up the stairs to the 13-year-old.

"Yeah, give me just a second," she yelled back

"You need to hurry or you'll be late for your first day of seventh grade," he told her.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she called back sounding slightly annoyed. Sighing Spencer went to make sure he had everything for work.

"I'm ready," Christi said walking into the living room. Turning around, Spencer's eyes widened. She was dressed in her Baker Academy uniform, but what took him by surprise was the amount of makeup on her face.

"Christina Lynn! Go upstairs and take off all that makeup, now."

"But, Papa, you said I could start wearing it now that I'm 13," she whined.

"Wearing it, yes, piling it on your face so you look like a," Spencer stopped not sure how to finish that sentence.

"Like a hooker?" his daughter supplied.

"Yes, now go upstairs and take it off. There is no reason you need to be that made up."

"Fine," she grumbled stomping up the stairs. Five minutes later, she came back down with most of the makeup washed off.

"That's much better," Spencer complimented.

"Yeah, whatever," she mumbled.

"Okay, lets go," he said grabbing his messenger bag and heading for the door. Quickly she grabbed her backpack and hurried after him. XXXX

It was now December and Spencer's patience was being tested. He'd heard that kids rebelled when they were teens, but he didn't expect Christi to rebel that much. He should have known, though. Fran and the girls had told him about how much Derek had rebelled as a kid. So far she'd been suspended for fighting, she died her hair black with pink highlights and she'd snuck out twice since the beginning of school.

"I just don't know what to do, she's really testing my patience," Reid said as the team was on the jet heading home after their most recent case. Isabel was staying with Christi.

"All kids rebel, its part of growing up," Rossi said.

"Yeah, I know that, but I never rebelled, so I'm out of my element here," Spencer argued.

"You never rebelled at all?" Hotch questioned in surprise. Even though Reid was a genius and more advanced in a lot of ways, he was surprised that he hadn't succumbed to some kind of rebellious behavior.

"Well…" Spencer began, his face turning red.

"Well, what? What did our boy genius do that was so rebellious?" Emily teased.

"Yeah, I wanna hear this one," JJ added.

"A couple of the other kids and I toilet papered a teacher's house once. No one liked her, and they dared me to do it. They didn't think I would, but I proved them wrong. They were so surprised that they helped me. Someone saw and called the cops, but we all managed to get away," Spencer explained a small smile curving his lips.

"I can't believe you had it in you," Rossi commented.

"Yeah, well, no one liked her," Spencer justified. The others laughed. Just then Spencer's phone rang. Pulling it out, he glanced at the caller ID and his smile turned to a frown when he saw Baker Academy flash across the screen. XXXX

"Reid," he answered already sounding tired and frustrated.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Reid, this is Dr. Blackwell, the principal at Baker Academy. I'm sorry to be disturbing you during working hours, but Christi was caught smoking in the girl's bathroom. It's school policy to send a student home for the rest of the day and the following one," she explained.

"Yes, I understand, I'm actually on my way back from a case, but you can call Isabel Matthews to pick her up. She's listed on her emergency contact form. If she's unavailable, please contact Penelope Garcia," Spencer requested.

"I will do so, thank you, Dr. Reid," the principal said hanging up the phone and preparing to make the necessary phone calls. XXXX

Hanging up his phone, Spencer blew out a frustrated sigh.

"What's wrong, Spence?" JJ questioned placing a comforting hand on top of his tightly clasped ones.

"Christi was caught smoking in the girl's bathroom! I mean, smoking? Really, what in the hell would want to make her smoke? It's a disgusting habit, statistics show that…" Spencer, breathe," Emily called stopping his rambling. Taking a deep breath, the genius closed his mouth blushing slightly.

"Sorry," he mumbled embarrassed.

"its fine," Emily assured him

"She's just trying to be cool. If I had to guess, some of her friends are doing it, and she did it to be cool," Hotch suggested.

"Peer pressure is a big deal for teens. It's easier to do what your friends are doing than it is to do the right thing. Doing the right thing will most likely get you teased and pushed around," Emily explained.

"Em's right," JJ said. "Not that her behavior is acceptable, but that's most likely why she's doing these things," the media liaison said.

"Yeah, I know you're right, but it's wearing me out. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. I talked to Fran last night and she said that if I needed to I could send her to live with her for a little while. Get her out of this environment for a bit. Maybe that'll do some good," Spencer informed the group.

"She'll find friends like hers anywhere she goes, but maybe Fran's right, maybe the change would do her good," Emily said.

"I know, but I feel like a failure as a parent. What kind of parent sends their child to live with their grandmother when they get a little rebellious?" Spencer asked.

"One who has their Childs best interest at heart. You're trying to do what's best for Christi, and you shouldn't fault yourself for that," Hotch told him. Spencer nodded as he placed his head in his hands. Raising a teenage girl sure wasn't easy. XXXX

The ringing of his phone drug him from his thoughts.

"Reid," he answered tiredly.

"Hey there, baby cakes. I just picked up Christi from school. They couldn't reach Isabel. Where do you want us to go?"

"I'm not sure where you should take her. How about the BAU? I'll take her home from their," he answered.

"That I can do," Garcia agreed easily.

"Thanks, Pen, I appreciate it," Spencer told her.

"Don't worry about it," Garcia assured him.

"Okay, I'll see you when we get there. We should be landing in 45 minutes or so," Spencer informed the computer tech.

"See you when you get here, bye, Reid," she said.

"Bye, Garcia," he replied hanging up his phone and settling back in his seat trying to calm his raging temper. He knew yelling at his daughter wouldn't solve anything, but he was nearing the end of his rope. XXXX

Arriving at the BAU, Spencer headed straight for Garcia's office. He found both women sitting inside. Garcia was working on her computer and Christi was reluctantly doing her homework. No doubt thanks to Garcia's prodding.

"Hey there, Reid," Garcia greeted getting up and hugging him.

"Hi, Garcia, thanks for everything. I'm sure Christi's sorry that she had to drag you away from your work to pick her up from school. Aren't you young lady?" Spencer demanded directing the last part of his statement to his glowering daughter.

"Yeah," she mumbled not even looking up.

"Well, then, what do you have to say for yourself?" he prompted.

"Sorry," she muttered barely looking Garcia in the eye.

"Apology accepted," Garcia said.

"Get your stuff together, we're heading home," Spencer told Christi. Nodding silently she put her homework back in her backpack and climbed to her feet reluctantly following Spencer from the room. XXXX

Spencer waited until they were safely in his car to demand answers.

"Smoking? What the hell were you thinking Christina Lynn Morgan?"

"It's not that big a deal, Papa. Everyone does it. It's not like it's pot or something like that," she argued.

"First of all, it is a big deal. Smoking can lead to cancer, and a hoste of other health problems. Second of all, I'm sure that not everyone is doing it. Third, it's illegal for you to smoke; you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes which brings me to my next question, where did you get it?"

"A friend had it," she answered reluctantly.

"Do you have any on you right now?" Spencer questioned.

"No," she answered glaring at him.

"Are you telling me the truth?" he asked.

"God, yes, I am, jeeze, just lay off me," she yelled.

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady! You're grounded for two weeks. No phone, no computer, no friends. You go to school and you come home, that's it."

"But what about homework," she argued, trying to find a way out.

"That's the only exception, but you will do it at the BAU where someone on the team can keep an eye on you. If you're at home and I'm on a case, Isabel will be supervising you if Garcia can't. Remember, Pen is a computer tech and she can check the history even if it's been deleted, so don't try anything."

"Fine," she grumbled crossing her arms over her chest and sulking as she stared out the car window.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review!


	9. Chapter 9

It's been three years now and Christi's sixteen and her and a bunch of her friends are walking around the mall laughing and giggling. Her hair is still black with hot pink streaks in it. They had just gotten out of the movies and they're laughing and enjoying themselves. Christi's cell rings with Spencer's ring tone and she pulls her cell out of her pocket and answers it.

"Hello?" she says annoyed.

"Where the hell are you!" Reid demands.

"At the mall with my friends."

"When you're supposed to be in school! Get home right now!"

"No!" she growls.

"Get home before I ground you!"

"NO!" she growls and hangs up and shuts her phone off.

"God he's a fucking pain in my ass! He's not even my real father. He can't tell me what to do." She says.

"Tell us about it!" her friends laugh.

After a while they head out and get into Christi's Range Rover Sport in which Fran, Sarah and Des bought her for her sixteenth birthday despite Spencer's protests. He saw it as rewarding her for rebelling.

Unknown to Christi she didn't she didn't hang up or shut off her phone and Spencer heard what she said and he fights back tears. What she said hurt. He quickly blinks back the tears before JJ could see and he gets back to work. JJ notices something wrong with Spencer but doesn't ask by his body language she knew he would clam up if she asked and tried to push it out of him.

Half way back to Christi and Reid's house Christi gets pulled over she groans. She stops rolls her window down, shuts off her car then sits back and waits.

The cop comes over and asks for her license and registration. She gets both and hands them over to him. He goes back to his car and writes everything up.

"Can I ask why you stopped me?"

"You were speed and swerving."

"Oh wow. I'm sorry. I'm still kinda new to driving and I'm not used to driving my car yet. I'm sorry." She says.

"Well I'm going to need you to step out and take a sobriety test." He says.

She nods and sighs.

She gets out and does the tests and it comes back that she's sober as another cop car arrives as he had called for back up since her friends were acting suspiciously. In that car was Derek aka "Nathan" and Jake. Derek sees that is Christi and he sighs. He knew she was rebelling through Hotch but her drinking under age was where he was starting get to the end of his rope.

"Do I have your permission to search you? It's strictly protocol."

"Sure." She says with a rolls of her eyes.

He has her stretch out her arms and he pats her down and when he gets to jacket pocket of her uniform he feels something in there and frowns.

"I'm just reaching into your pocket."

She nods as he takes out the contents of her pocket.

He pulls it out and frowns when he sees that its pot. Just enough for possession. Derek sees it and Jake has to hold him back from going out there and smacking her.

"I swear that's not mine!" Christi says wide eyed.

"That's what they all say." He says reaching back and pulling out his cuffs.

"You have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney if you cannot afford one, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these right as I have read them to you?" he says as he takes one of her arms in his hand to take it behind her back to cuff her.

She pulls her arm free and takes a swing and hits him square in the jaw.

"Oh shit!" she yelps terrified knowing Spencer and the team were going to ring her neck.

By now her friends had jumped out of her car and took off.

"You just assaulted an officer. You're under arrest for possession and assaulting an officer. Now do you understand your rights?" he asked getting a good grip on her wrist and cuffing it then repeating the process with her other wrist.

"Yea." She says shakily.

He leads her over to the squad car then sits her in the back then goes and rolls her windows and makes sure her car is secured before he puts the keys in his pocket and bringing her the house.

They get to the house and he leads her up to the door and rings the bell. She has her head down in tears.

Spencer gets the door as Christi looks up.

"Sir, are you her parent or guardian."

"I am." Reid says.

"I pulled her over for speeding and swerving. I asked her to step out and I preformed a sobriety test and she came back sober. I went to follow protocol and I searched her with her permission and I found some pot in her jacket pocket and she denied it as hers then when I went to arrest her she took a swing and hit me. Now I can arrest her but since this is her first offence I can let her off with a warning but she has to go to court and they will decide what to do with her."

"Okay thank you." He said as he uncuffed her and handed Spencer her keys after telling him where her car was.

She goes and sits on the couch as she knows Spencer would want to speak to her well more like yell at her.

After he closes the door Spencer goes over and stands in front of her.

"Well what do you have to say for yourself?"

"The pot wasn't mine and I panicked and hit him. I'm sorry."

"That's not good enough any more. I'm sending you to go and be with your grandmother and aunts for a while. Maybe being in Chicago will be good for you because being here isn't doing you any good. It's only leading to trouble and if you get your act together out there you just may stay there permanently."

"Yes, Papa." She says.

Spencer hands her, her backpack then sends her to her room to start on her homework that he picked up from the school after begging them to allow her to do it.


	10. Chapter 10

Christi's now 17 and she's back in Virginia. She had been in Chicago for about five and half months and she begged Spencer to let her go home. After she had gotten arrested for the drug possession and assaulting the cop she had heard Reid talking to Fran and she had heard him over the phone telling her that he heard what she said about him not being her real father and her not having to listen to him. She went up to him and hugged him and apologized telling him she didn't mean it. She had to forty hours of community service for the possession and assaulting the cop. It was twenty hours for each so in total it was forty hours. She had started to get better when she got home. She was still rebelling but it wasn't as bad as before. All she's really doing now is sneaking out and getting into trouble at school. At the moment she and her American Government Honors class are on a felid trip to Washington DC to experience it.

"Okay class we're through for today's tour. You can do go hang out around DC but be sure to be back at the hotel by the 10pm bed check." Their teacher said.

They all nod and Christi and a few of her friends go and head over to the local mall.

They're laughing and giggling and they head into one of the bookstores at the mall.

Christi starts looking around and goes and buys herself a book. Then she saves the rest of the money Spencer had given her before she left for dinner that night and then lunch the next night as they were getting home the next night.

She spots a book she knows Spencer would love but she didn't want to spend anymore of the money she has. She sighs and gnaws on her lower lip and puts the book into the bag with her other book then as she and her friends leave an alarm goes off and they get stopped.

They search all of their bags and Christi takes off running. She hears footsteps behind her and she sees a cop behind her chasing her.

"Shit!" she says and picks up her pace. XXX

Derek and Jake are sitting in the patrol car on break having some McDonalds for lunch.

"All units be advised we have a shop lifter running down Constitution Ave NW. Please be advised. Closest units the suspect is wearing dark wash blue jeans, light blue tank top with black hair with pink streaks going through it. She's about five foot three inches. Hazel eyes, olive skin tone."

"That's this way." Jake said looking up and sees her run past.

"Damn it! It's Christi!" Derek growls as he and Jake get out and chases after her.

Derek is closest behind her and she looks back and looks him then picks up her pace and so does he.

Derek manages to catch up to her and grabs her.

"Get down to the ground now," he growls.

"GET OFF OF ME BITCH ASS COP!" she shouts fighting against him.

"Get her face down Nathan!" Jake shouts catching up to them.

"I said get down!" Derek growls.

"NO!"

Derek knocks her feet out from under her and gets her face down and pulls her hands behind her back.

"You have…"

"I've heard it before. I ain't sayin' a fuckin' word." She says giving in and letting him cuff her.

As Derek got her down to the ground her shirt rode up and he sees a cross with wings coming out the side of it with a ribbon going around it. In the ribbon it read 'In loving memory Derek Morgan, loving father' then at the bottom of the left wing it had his date of birth then at the bottom of the right wing it had his date of "death". He sighs and sits her up and adjusts her shirt.


	11. Chapter 11

Spencer was beyond furious when he got the call from the DC police that Christi had been arrested. He nearly ran into Nathan, but the other man saw him and hurried away. Picking up Christi he informed her that she was grounded for three months, no car, no computer, no cell phone, no friends, grounded from everything. She was also no longer to go on a retreat the school was putting on. It was now a week later and Nathan was sitting in the DC police station he worked at and reading a report. All of a sudden, his cell phone rang.

"Williams," he answered.

"He's dead, you're no longer in danger," came his partners voice.

"What? What do you mean? Do you mean Jimmie Peak is dead?" he asked not wanting to get his hopes up.

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I was the one positively identified him. I just ran his prints to get a confirmation match, and they came back. It's a match. Jimmie Peak is dead."

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked. He could feel his hopes rising. He'd finally be able to be with Spencer and Christi.

"Yes, Nathan, I'm sure. I'm just about to call Agent Hotchner and tell him what's going on so he can figure out how to get you back to Virginia and reunited with your family," his partner answered.

"Thank you for everything, Jake. I know I've not always been the easiest person to work with," the African-American man admitted.

"No, you haven't, but I don't blame you. Well I'm going to call Agent Hotchner. He will be calling you shortly. Can I give you one last bit of advice?"

"Sure what is it?"

"Take it slowly with your family and your team. Only Agent Hotchner knows you've been alive all these years. The rest of them are bound to be very angry at you and him if it gets out that he knew," Jake said.

"I know, thanks, call Hotch. I'll be waiting to hear from him."

"Goodbye, Agent Morgan, you were one hell of a partner."

£Later that nigh£

Hotch had asked everyone to stay late for a bit and that he had something to show them. Hotch was pacing around in his office running his hand through his hair unsure of how the team was going to react mainly Reid and Christi. He looks up and sees Jake and Derek walking into the BAU bullpen. He was thankful the team wasn't back from getting lunch yet or things would have blown up.

He leaves his office and then goes down there and meets up with them.

"Hey Derek how does it feel to be back home?"

"It feels good. I'm just worried on how Spence and Christi are going to react. More Spencer than anyone. And maybe Christi. I think she just may throw a huge fit after what happened last week."

"I heard. Spencer was furious. He grounded her for three months taking everything away from her."

Derek sighs and nods.

"Okay the team should be getting back and Spencer should have Christi with him. Go and wait in the conference room and I'll bring the team up there."

Derek nods and goes and sits up in the conference room fidgeting.

The team gets there a few moments later and Christi is with them and she looked tired.

"Okay Hotch what's up with us having to hang around for a bit?" JJ asks.

"Follow me up to the conference room." He said.

They all looked at each other and shrug then follow him. They get into the conference room and they all look at Derek.

"Hotch what's Nathan doing here?"

"It's Derek. He's been in hiding these past seventeen years. There a major drug lord that wanted him dead from his undercover days from before he came to the BAU that wanted him dead and he was just recently murdered the drug lord so Derek is back. While he was in hiding he was working undercover again."

"So that case it was really Derek there?" Reid asks.

Hotch nods.

"And he was that bit…cop that practically tackled me last week?" Christi asks.

Hotch nods and tears come rushing to her eyes and she runs of the room and out of the building.

"I'll go and talk to her." Garcia said following after Christi.

Garcia finds her on the roof where she knows where Christi goes to think and she finds her sitting curled up in a ball sobbing her heart out. Garcia goes over to her and sits next to her and holds her close to her.

"It's okay honey. Things are going to be okay. Do you want to stay with me for a few days?"

"If Papa allows me too. I just can't be home right now."

"Okay sweetie come on let's get back inside it's gonna start snowing again." Garcia said.

Christi nods and gets up and they head back inside.

They get back inside and Garcia leads Christi into the break room to get some hot chocolate into her as she was shivering.

"Why didn't you tells Aaron!" Emily growls.

"I couldn't or it would have put Derek's life in danger. We had to keep it a secret. Especially if we wanted to keep Reid and Christi alive as this drug dealer would have murdered them as well. So we had no choice but keeping it a secret." Hotch said.

"She still dyes her hair black and with those pink streaks?" Derek asks speaking for the first time.

"Yea she does." Reid says quietly unsure of what to say or do.

"Spence I never wanted to go but if I meant keeping you and Christi alive it was worth it. But when Hotch called and said that you were in the hospital after what Riggo I did told Jake to go and fuck himself and I came down here. You weren't dreaming. I just told you that to make you think that so that my cover wasn't blown."

Spencer nods and goes over to him and hugs him tightly as the tears he had been holding back. Derek hugs him back and cries as well.

After a few moments Derek pulls back says, "Where's Garcia and Christi?"

"Break room most likely. Whenever Christi gets really upset she goes and sits on the roof of wherever she is to think and calm down. And it's snowing outside so Garcia mostly likely made Christi her famous hot chocolate and is probably still talking to her to calm her down. Derek she's really upset right now. She needs to calm down and figure things out." JJ said.

"I don't know if I should go in there and talk to her or what."

"You should go and talk to her." Reid said.

Derek nods and goes into the break room to talk to Christi and maybe hopefully Garcia.

Derek gets there and clears his throat and Garcia looks up from where she was sitting on the couch against the farthest wall. Christi was sound asleep with her head on Garcia's shoulder and tear tracks on her face. Garcia was running her finger through the sleeping teens hair.

"How are you doin' baby girl?"

"I'm okay. She's the one who's really hurt. She's upset that she's been lied to all her life. Derek she's gotten into fights and beaten up at school because she's adopted and…" she trialed off knowing he would get the rest.

"She can't win. First it happens when she an infant and it's still happening."

"She has one hell of a right hook though." Garcia grins.

"What do you mean?"

"Rossi and Hotch were at her school one day when one of her fights happened and she hit one of the soccer players and she broke his jaw."

"really?" Derek asks surprised.

"Yea. He was being an ass and tried to grab my ass so I turned around hit him in the jaw. Broke his jaw and my hand and that got me suspended for two weeks but it was worth it." Christi says with her eyes still closed but answering her fathers one worded question.

"You're just like me. Not taking anybody's shit and always getting into fights at school. Which by the way where are you going to school?"

"Baker Academy." She says with a yawn and snuggles into her "aunt's" embrace falling back asleep.

"That's a good school." Derek smiles.

"Reid respected your wishes in her going to a good school like that." Pen said as Derek scoops up Christi gently so that he doesn't wake her up. Garcia stood up and Derek laid her back down on the couch as Reid comes in.

"Why don't we go back to the house and talk? Catch up on things." Reid said.

Derek smiles and nods. Reid and goes and pulls Derek to him and kisses him.

Christi wakes up and peaks one eye open and says, "Okay please get a room! I don't want to be in the room when you two go at it like jack rabbits!"

Derek and Spencer burst out laughing when she says that then Derek looks at her and says, "And tomorrow we'll talk about getting that thing removed off of your back."

"Thing? What thing!" she asks. She knew he was talking about her tattoo but Spencer didn't know about since she went behind his back and got it.

She looks over at Spencer and he was glaring at her.

"Christina Lynn Reid-Morgan what thing!" Spencer says.

"Wellllll…" she smiles innocently.

"You mean you don't know Spence?"

"Apparently not." He says.

"She's got ink on her back."

"Like pen ink?"

"No. Ink like my left and right arms are ink."

"You went behind my back and got a tattoo! When!"

"When I was sixteen." She says with an innocent smile and tries to pull her 'please don't be mad at me because I'm cute' look.

"What of and why the hell would you do that! Don't you know the statistics of getting hepatitis b!"

"No I don't know the stupid statistics and why don't you look for your self!" she says rolling up her shirt reliving her back and the tattoo.

"There happy now!" she asks fighting back tears and pushes past them and storming out of there in tears of hurt, frustration and just plain upset.

Garcia, JJ and Emily all see and throw matching glares at Reid knowing he was the reason she was in tears this time.

"JJ and me take Christi you take Reid?" Emily says addressing Pen.

"You got it sweetie." She said.

Emily and JJ follow Christi up to the roof after making a small pit stop to candy and soda machines and to get their jackets, scarves, gloves and boots.

They get there and find her sitting out on the snow covered roof without her jacket, scarf, gloves or boots and she was shivering violently.

"Hey sweetie." JJ said sitting down next to Christi shrugging off her coat and wrapping it around her shoulders since she had a long sleeved shirt and two sweaters on.

"H-h-h-h-hi an-an-an-an-and th-th-th-thanks." She said through chattering teeth.

"You should warm up with my coat. Why don't we go inside and talk in my office?" JJ offers.

"Sure." She says.

JJ and Emily help Christi to her feet and inside.

They get into the warm building and right over to JJ's office.

"Okay sweetie what's the matter?" Emily asks.

"Papa found out my tattoo and went ballistic. Daddy is okay with it but Papa went ballistic and asked me if I knew the statistics of getting hepatitis b and why I would do it and when. He just doesn't understand me. He raised me yet he doesn't understand me!" she says in tears.

"oh honey." JJ says hugging her.

"Would you and Will mind if I stay with you for a few days?" she asks.

"Not all. I was about to head home. We can stop by your and Papa's place so that we can get you some clothes and you uniforms and everything else."

"Thanks JJ." She says as Derek comes in.

"hey baby girl. You doing okay?"

"Yea, I'm gonna stay with Aunt JJ, Uncle Will and Henry for few days or so. I just can't be around Papa right now."

"It's okay baby girl I understand." He said giving her a hug.

"I'm sorry daddy, you're just getting back and I'm leaving for a few days or so. I feel bad."

"Don't feel bad. It's fine."

She smiles and nods.

"Ready to go?" JJ asks.

"Yup." She says.

They head out and head over to her house first then they head over to JJ and Will's. By the time they get there Christi is sound asleep in the passenger seat. Will comes out and carries her inside and places her on the bed in the guest room. XXXX

Meanwhile with Garcia and Reid.

"What the hell were you thinking making her cry?" the computer tech scolded.

"She went behind my back and got a tattoo. What the hell else am I supposed to do, Garcia?"

"Let her explain, did you even see what the tattoo was?" she countered.

"Not completely, she showed me but I was to angry to look. I just can't believe she'd get a tattoo," he declared.

"It's a memorial tattoo for me," Derek said as he entered Garcia's office.

"A memorial tattoo for you?" Garcia asked.

"Yeah, it's got my birthday and my date of "death" on it," he explained.

"Man, now I feel stupid. I guess I should have let her explain herself," Reid said regretfully.

"Yes, you should have," Derek agreed.

"Where is she now?" Garcia wondered.

"JJ took her back to her house. She's staying with her, Will, and Henry for a couple days. She needs to cool down for she talks to you, Spence," Derek explained. Spencer nodded he knew he'd messed up, and he just hoped they'd be able to fix it.

TBC?


	12. Chapter 12

It's been two weeks now and Christi and Reid have made up and Christi is getting her tattoo removed. At the moment she was upstairs in her room doing homework. Derek and Reid were downstairs talking about how bad Christi had gotten the past few years and Derek sighs and couldn't believe how much out of hand they had gotten. Christi is sitting at the top of the stairs listening to them and she hears the conversation starting to get heated and she's not sure what to do. She gets up and grabs a duffel bag from under her bed and throws a bunch of clothes and other things in there along with her uniform and goes back and sits down at the top of the stairs.

"Damn it Spencer why the hell didn't you try harder to keep her ass in line!"

"IT'S NOT EASY RAISING A CHILD ON YOUR OWN! ESPECIALLY A TEENAGER! IF YOU HADN'T FAKED YOUR FUCKING DEATH YOU COULD HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE TO FUCKING HELP!" Spencer shouts making Christi cringe since she knew he rarely ever shouted.

"Well excuse me for trying to protect you and her. I didn't have a damn choice and if you'd just get off your damn high horse for just a moment, you'd see that!" Derek yelled before turning and storming out into the garage and beginning to work out in the part they'd made into a gym for him. Spencer just stood their in complete shock. As quietly as she could, Christi made her way to her room and called Garcia. XXXX

"Hello?" Garcia answered.

"Aunt Pen, its Christi. Can I stay at your place, p-p-please?" Noticing that the teen was crying, Garcia frowned.

"Of course you can, kitten. What's the matter, though?"

"Papa and Daddy are fighting, and it's all my fault," she cried.

"I'm sure it's not your fault, honey. You're welcome to stay here as long as you want. Do you want to drive over here so you can get to and from school?" Garcia wondered.

"Yeah, that would be great; I'll be over in just a few minutes. I've gotta tell at least one of them where I'm going."

"Okay, see you in a little while," Garcia said hanging up and heaving a sigh. She hated when any of her family was at odds, but she knew that when Spencer and Derek fought, they were both very stubborn and it would take a lot for either one of them to apologize. XXXX

"I'm going to stay at Aunt Pen's for a few days," Christi told her father as she walked into the living room.

"Okay, that's fine with me," Spencer replied dejectedly.

"I love you, Papa," she said kissing his cheek before heading to find Derek and tell him the same thing. XXXX

Over the next few weeks, the fighting continued. Christi had been spending more time at JJ and Garcia's then at her own house. She'd even spent a weekend with Dave at his cabin. They'd gone fishing and had s'mores. She'd loved every minute of it. It was one of the few times she was at her house and she was up in her room trying to study for a math test. Ever since her dad had come back to them she'd been trying to straighten up her act hoping it would stop the fighting. She'd stopped hanging out with the kids who she'd gotten arrested with and her grades were back up to As anb Bs. It hadn't seemed to work yet, though. It was one of the few times her father's weren't fighting and they'd agreed to go out to dinner leaving her in a quiet house, something she enjoyed. XXXX

The slamming of the door and raised voices made her look up. She wasn't surprised any longer at the fighting and the yelling, but it didn't mean she liked it. Slowly she crept to the top of the stairs to see what was wrong this time. She could tell by the conversation that her dad had been drinking and had probably drank a little more than he should have.

"All I know is that when I came back from the bathroom I saw you drunkly kissing another guy. You were practically mauling him, Derek! What else am I supposed to think?"

"He d-d-doesn't mean anything to me," Derek argued.

"Yeah, well, that kiss sure said otherwise!" Spencer yelled getting in Derek's face.

"That's it, are you calling me a liar, Spencer?" Derek growled.

"Yes, I am, you say you knew him when you were undercover, but how am I supposed to believe that you still aren't involved. You've disappeared twice this week with no explanation. Where the hell have you been and what the hell have you been doing?" Spencer demanded.

"I don't have to tell you, and what would be the point if I'm going to be called a liar?" Derek yelled as his hand came up and he hit the younger man in the face. Christi cried out from her place on the stairs and curled into a ball tightly closing her eyes. Neither guy seemed to notice, though. They were to caught up in their anger.

"Did you just hit me?" Spencer asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I did, now what are you going to do about it?" Derek taunted.

"Leave, we're through, Derek Anthony Morgan," Spencer yelled as he stalked to the door and stormed out climbing into his car and driving off. Storming into the kitchen, Derek grabbed a beer and sank into a chair at the kitchen table and drank half of the bottle in one gulp. XXXX

The deafening silence that followed the yelling was too much. As quietly as she could, the teen ran for her room and the duffle bag she kept packed constantly these last two weeks. Grabbing a few more things she added them to it. She knew she'd stay gone longer this time. She didn't want to put JJ and Garcia out and Dave was on a well deserved vacation. That left Emily and Hotch. Slipping on her shoes she grabbed her purse and cell phone and hurried down the stairs. She reached the doorway to the kitchen just in time to duck as Derek threw the bottle at the wall in anger. A piece of glass bounced off the wall and grazed her cheek. Quickly she scribbled a note that she was going to Hotch's and she didn't know when she'd be back to the house. Once all the fighting stops, I'm sorry, and it's all my fault, love Christi. Placing the note on the entryway table she slipped out of the house placing a hand against the cut trying to stop the bleeding. XXXX

She wasn't sure how she got to Hotch and Emily's but somehow she did. Grabbing her duffle bag she walked to the door trying to stop the flow of tears that were falling down her face. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped. Lifting a shaking hand she rang the doorbell and waited. It opened, revealing Mallory, Jack's half-sister. She was 14.

"Hey, Christi, what are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"Are Uncle Aaron and Aunt Emily home?" she asked just above a whisper.

"Yeah, come on in, they're in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. Jack's in his room." Nodding Christi followed the youngest Hotchner into the house and headed for the kitchen. XXXX

"Mom, Dad, Christi's here, and something's wrong," she announced proceeding the older girl into the kitchen. Both agents looked up and hurried across the room at the tears and the sight of blood on their surrogate niece's face.

"Christi, what happened? Who hurt you, sweetie?" Hotch asked gently touching the cut. Flinching she jerked away and cried harder.

"Shh, you can tell us, who hurt you," Emily coaxed as she reached out and brushed some hair out of the clearly upset young woman's face.

"Oh, it was awful. Daddy and Papa weren't fighting for like the first time in three days so they went out to dinner. I was at home studying for my math test. Then they got home and they were fighting. I guess Papa saw Daddy kissing another guy and got really angry. Daddy had been drinking and the fight went from their until D-d-daddy," she broke off crying too hard.

"Until he what?" Hotch asked gently.

"Until he hit Papa. Then Papa asked if Daddy had just hit him and Daddy said yes, and asked what Papa was going to do about it. Papa told him he was leaving and that they were over. Then he left and Daddy grabbed a beer. I ran and grabbed my bag. As I was heading to the front door he threw the bottle at the kitchen wall and a piece of glass bounced off and hit me. I don't think he even realized I was in the room. I wrote a quick note then ran. Then I came here. Please can I stay here? I don't wanna go h-h-home," she sobbed.

"Of course you can stay here. You can stay here as long as you need to," Emily told her.

"T-thanks, I think I'm gonna go take a shower then go to bed if that's okay? I'm really tired," Christi checked.

"That's fine, did you take your insulin?" Hotch questioned.

"Yeah, just before they got home," she answered.

"Mal, why don't you show Christi where the towels and such are then fix up the trundle bed in your room," her mother suggested.

"Yes, Mom, come on, Chris," she said pulling the older girl from the kitchen and up the stairs. XXXX

"Is everything okay, Dad, Em? I thought I heard crying?" Jack asked as he came from the basement where his room now was.

"Christi's here, things are tough at home right now," Aaron told his son.

"Uncle Derek and Uncle Spencer fighting again?"

"Yeah, but this time, she got caught in the crossfire," Emily added.

"Oh my gosh, is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, just got hit by a piece of glass as Derek threw a beer bottle," his step-mother explained.

"Where is she now?"

"Mallory's helping her get the stuff for a shower then she's going to bed. She would probably appreciate a visit from her favorite guy before she goes to sleep," Aaron suggested.

"I'll go check on her before bed, I'm gonna watch a movie in the meantime," he said heading into the living room, leaving the two adults to talk. XXXX

Garcia frowned at the rapid knocking at her door. It was 9:00, who in the world would be visiting her at this time of night? She was stunned when she opened her door and found a crying Reid standing there.

"Spence, what's wrong, baby cakes?"

"Derek and I are over, can I come in?"

"Of course, come on in and explain to me what happened." Nodding he entered the cozy apartment that was Penelope Garcia's and began telling her the story.

"Where's Christi?" Garcia asked. Reid gasped when he realized he wasn't sure where is daughter was.

"I don't know, she was at the house when we left, but I don't know. I hope she's okay," he said as he began to panic.

"Shh, I'm sure she's fine," she soothed as she hugged him.

"I hope so," Spencer said softly. XXXX

The computer tech jumped when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered in a curious tone.

"Garcia, it's Hotch, is Reid with you? I've called JJ and Dave and he's not with them."

"Yes, he's with me, do you know where Christi is? Reid's scared because he doesn't know where she is."

"She's here, apparently she was hit by flying glass when Derek threw his emtpy beer bottle in anger after Spencer left. She doesn't think he was even aware that she was in the room," Hotch explained.

"Poor thing, I'm assuming she's staying with you until they stop fighting?" she questioned.

"Yes," he answered.

"I have a feeling that Reid will stay here for a little while," the tech said.

"That's probably a good idea, well, I'll let you go for now. See you both tomorrow."

"Bye, Hotch," Garcia said hanging up the phone and staring down at Reid who'd cried himself to sleep.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review. I promise things will work themselves out eventually.


	13. Chapter 13

Six weeks later, things are still a mess. Spencer had moved out and into an apartment and he and Derek have been sending Christi back and forth. She's tired of it and begs Hotch to do something. Finally he sits both Morgan and Reid down and tells them that he's going to send them to court and have a judge decide where Christi should be placed until they get their act together. They don't like it, but they don't have any choice. The hearing happens and the judge rules that until things are sorted out at home, Christi will live with Dave which she's happy about. They settled into a routine that suited them both. XXXX

It was now Friday at the end of the sixth week.

"I think she needs a week off school. You two can go up to your cabin. Pick up her school work so she's not behind, but she needs to get out of Quantico for a little while. This isn't healthy for her," JJ said as she and Dave sat in his office.

"I know you're right, JJ. I just hope she's for it," he said.

"Why wouldn't she be for a week at Little Creek? That place is gorgeous," JJ gushed. A smile crossed Dave's face.

"Thanks, glad you like it," he said. "I'll go and get her from school then I will tell her," he said standing up.

"She didn't drive herself this morning?" the media liaison wondered.

"No, she wanted to sleep in so I volunteered to drive her," he explained.

"Has she been having trouble sleeping?" the mother asked in concern.

"Yeah, she's cried herself to sleep every night this week," Dave answered.

"They've got to fix this and soon. If they don't I'm not sure what will happen to Christi," she admitted.

"I'm worried to," Dave agreed.

"We'll keep our fingers crossed that things work out in the end," the media liaison said.

"Yes we will, but I should really get going," the co-founder of the BAU told her.

"Okay, go pick her up and give her the good news," JJ said with a smile. XXXX

"I have a surprise for you," Dave said glancing at the young woman sitting next to him in the car.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I've talked to your teacher's and collected all of your work. How'd you like to go up to Little Creek for a week?"

"Really, go to the cabin for an entire week?" she gasped. Dave nodded his head. "Awesome, thanks Uncle Dave!" she cried hugging him tightly.

"You're welcome, kiddo," she said with a bright smile. The first one she'd given in weeks. XXXX

The week was going very well. Dave had managed to get some of the week off, but not all of it. It was now Thursday and Dave had to go to work for a few hours. Strauss had gotten pissed and demanded he come to the BAU and put in a few hours.

"Are you sure you'll be fine here on your own?" he checked.

"I'll be fine, I think I'm going to swim then finish reading the chapter for English class," she answered.

"Sounds like a good plan, call me if you need me," Dave told her kissing her on the forehead before heading for his SUV. XXXX

Christi had gone swimming and finished reading the chapter she needed to read and decided to go for a walk. Dave had called and told her he'd been pulled into a meeting with Strauss and he wasn't sure when he'd be home. She told him she was fine and that she'd see him whenever he got back. The teen was feeling good so she decided to leave her insulin in the cabin. She started walking briskly on one of the trails. As she felt her muscles relax, she began to sprint. XXXX

After running for a while she started to get a bit winded so she stopped to catch her breath. Sweat dripped from her forehead and into her eyes. Reaching up she ran the back of her hand across her face getting rid of the sweat. Once the teen had regained her breath she continued her run. A few minutes later she noticed that her lips were going numb and she began to feel light headed. Quickly she turned and began making her way back to the cabin. She didn't make it very far before she collapsed to the ground, fainting due to hypoglycemia. She'd let her blood sugar drop to low and now she was unconscious on the trail, and no one knew she was in trouble. XXXX

Dave was glad to see his cabin as he crested the hill. Strauss had kept him at the BAU about two hours longer than he wanted to be.

"Christi, you here, kiddo?" he asked as he walked through the cabin. Walking into the kitchen he spotted a note on the counter.

"Went for a run on the trail. Feel free to come join me if you'd like.

Christi." I don't mind if I do, he thought as he changed into tennis shoes and headed for the door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her insulin and blood sugar test kit on the table. He frowned when he saw it and picked it up. On instinct he got some grapes and some juice from the fridge then headed out in search of the young woman. XXXX

He was a little way from the cabin when he saw something he didn't want to see. It was a pink tennis shoe and it looked like Christi's pink tennis shoe. Following it he noticed it was attached to a leg. Picking up his pace he reached the motionless person within a minute. His heart dropped when the fact that it was Christi was confirmed.

"Christi, can you hear me?" he called tapping her cheek. Her skin was cool to the touch and she was motionless. Grabbing her blood sugar test kit he took her blood sugar. His eyebrows shot to his hairline when he saw how low it was. He knew she was suffering from a hypoglycemia attack and needed medical help immediately. Giving her the insulin shot he'd prepared as he ran just in case he relaxed when he retested her blood sugar and noticed that it was slightly higher. He wanted to feed her the grapes and the juice, but if she was unconscious he couldn't. Grabbing his phone he dialed 911 and told the paramedics where they were and to please hurry. Hanging up with the 911 operator he called Hotch. He knew he'd get the rest of the team to the hospital. XXXX

"Hotchner," answered the unit chief.

"Get everyone to GW Memorial now. The medics are going to be bringing Christi in. She's hypoblycemic and is going to a diabetic shock," he rushed out all in one breath.

"What? What in the world happened?" he demanded.

"When I got back to Little Creek I found a note from her that she'd gone for a run. I noticed that she'd left her insulin and other supplies on the table. I decided to run and bring them to her just in case. When I got to her I found her unconscious and her sugar was dangerously low. I've given her a shot of insulin. I have grapes and some juice to give her if she'll just wake up," he explained.

"We'll meet you there. Tell her we'll all be there," he said glancing into the bullpen at Christi's two fighting father's. There daughter was too important to let their petty fights get in the way.

"Will do, thanks, Aaron, see you soon, I here the sirens now."  
"Bye, Dave, see you there," Hotch said hanging up and walking down the stairs. Dave had never been so glad to see the red and blue emergency vehicles in his life. XXXX

"What do we have?" asked a brown-haired female medic as she reached the FBI agent and the teenager.

"Christina Lynn Reid-Morgan, she's 17-years-old. She has type one Diabetes and is hypoglycemic. I took her blood sugar and it was critically low so I gave her a shot of insulin and it has risen some, but not enough," Dave explained all in one breath.

"Okay, if you'll step back, we'll prepare her for transport," she instructed kindly. Reluctantly he moved back to give them room.

"Has she regained consciousness at any point asked the male medic.

"No, and that worries me," Dave admitted.

"It's possible she's been out long enough it could take her a while to come out of it. She's in what they call a diabetic coma or insulin shock," the male medic explained.

"Are you riding with us?" asked the female medic. Dave nodded and followed along as they carried the stretcher to the ambulance. Climbing in he sat out of the way and watched as they worked on the young woman. He just hoped they'd gotten to her in time.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review!


	14. Chapter 14

"What's going on, Hotch? Do we have a case?" Morgan asked as he looked up and saw the older man standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, we don't have a case, but we do need to leave immediately.

"Why, what's wrong?" Emily wondered as she walked to her husband and took his hand.

"It's Christi; she's being rushed to the hospital. She's gone into insulin shock, according to Dave."

"Oh, no, that's awful," Garcia gasped.

"Yes it is, Em, you, JJ, and Garcia go on ahead. The guys and I will be there in just a minute," Hotch instructed.

"But," Emily began to protest, but was stopped by the look on her husband's face. She saw him flick his eyes towards Morgan and Reid and she understood.

"Come on, let's go," she said grabbing her purse and leaving the bullpen, JJ and Garcia in tow. XXXX

"Why are we still here, Hotch?" Reid questioned.

"Because I need to talk to the two of you, so listen up," Hotch demanded.

"Yes, sir," Derek replied.

"I don't like to get involved in my co-workers personal lives, but you two haven't given me any choice so I have. What I have to say to you now is this. I don't care what you're fighting about, who is right, who is wrong or any of that. All I care about right now is that little girl in the hospital right now fighting for her life. If the two of you can't at least be civil around her I won't let you see her. She's been through hell for the last six weeks, hell, for the last two months if I'm being honest. Dave told me she's cried herself to sleep every night she's been with him. So are the two of you able to act like the grown adult FBI agents I know you can or are you going to resort to fighting and name calling?" Hotch wondered. Both men stared at him in slight shock.

"We'll behave," Reid said.

"Yeah, we will, we just want to see Christi," Derek added.

"Very well, let's go to GW Memorial, I'm sure she's gotten there by now," Hotch said allowing the two guys to walk out in front of him. He just hoped they'd keep their word and not fight especially in front of Christi. XXXX

"How is she? Is she going to be okay?" Garcia panted as the three women ran into the waiting room of GW Memorial's ER.

"They're working on her. They started an IV line and gave her sugar directly into her blood stream. That seems to have helped some because she's responding to basic commands but she's not totally conscious yet," Rossi informed them.

"So what the hell happened anyway?" Emily asked.

"When I got back from my meeting with the devil I found a note from her that she'd gone running and that I could join her if I wanted to. So I changed and was about to head out when I noticed she'd left her insulin and her blood sugar test kit on the table. Something told me to grab it and some food and juice just in case, so I did. Then I took off down the trail. I was maybe 10 minutes from the cabin when I found her on the ground unconscious. Her sugar was dangerously low so I gave her a shot of insulin and that raised it slightly, but not nearly enough so I called 911. They got their and took over then I called Hotch. I rode to the hospital with her, and here we are," he concluded. XXXX

"So you're the reason she's still alive," Derek said as the three male agents entered the room.

"Yes, I am," Dave answered warily. He hoped Aaron knew what he was doing bringing the two fighting men to the hospital. He knew Christi needed her father's their, but he was still nervous.

"Did anyone call Lia?" JJ asked.

"I did on the way over and she'll be here as soon as she can," Spencer replied. The media liaison nodded. They settled into a tense silence, waiting for news. XXXX

"Family of Christina Reid-Morgan?" called a doctor in purple scrubs. Everyone stood and turned towards the middle-aged woman.

"We're her fathers, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid and this is our extended family. Anything you have to say can be said in front of them," Derek introduced. The doctor nodded as she glanced down at the chart she held.

"Your daughter is a very sick young lady. We've managed to stabilize her and she's regained consciousness, but she's still pretty sick. I want to keep her for a day or two. She's lucky that someone found her when they did. If even five or ten more minutes had gone by, we could be looking at a radically different situation," the doctor admitted frankly.

"Can we see her?" Reid requested his voice shaking. Reflexively Derek reached out and grabbed the other man's hand and squeezed it. Spencer returned the gesture and didn't let go. Neither man even seemed to realize they'd done it.

"Yeah, she's asking for an Uncle Dave, would that be any of you?" the doctor wondered.

"That would be me. I found her on the trail," Dave said raising his hand.

"Okay, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to her. The rest of you can see her in a little while." The others nodded as they watched the doctor and Rossi walk down the hallway. XXXX

"Hey Uncle Dave," Christi called weakly from the hospital bed.

"Hey, there, kiddo. You scared me to death. Don't ever do that again, okay? My poor old heart can't take it," he said as he grabbed her hand. A soft giggle was his only response.

"I'll do my best. I'm sorry I scared you. I was running then I started feeling dizzy and I knew I needed my insulin so I turned to head back to the cabin, but apparently I didn't get there," she said with a half smile.

"No, you didn't, you fainted about 10 minutes from the cabin. I found your note when I got back and decided to join you. I noticed that you'd left your insulin and blood sugar test kit in the kitchen so I brought it and some food just in case. I found you on the ground and after realizing how low your sugar was, I gave you insulin then called the medics, and Hotch," he told her.

"So Uncle Aaron is here, what about the others?" she asked. Dave could see the hope in her eyes. She hoped her father's cared enough to come to the hospital when she was sick, but she was afraid they didn't.

"Everyone is here, Chris," he said patting her hand.

"Everyone?" she checked tears starting to slid down her face.

"Yes, everyone, Aaron, Em, JJ, Garcia, Morgan, and Reid."

"I d-d-didn't think they cared about me anymore. All they do is fight, and it's all my fault," she said as she began to cry. The male agent's heart broke at her declaration and he could feel his anger at Morgan and Reid rise.

"Hey, come here," he called softly as he reached out and pulled her into his arms mindful of the IV. "It's not your fault at all, sweetheart. People fight, especially couples, but it's not your fault," he swore.

"But I'm who they're fighting about, so it must be my fault," she cried.

"No, it isn't, Chrissie," he whispered rocking her back and forth trying his hardest to calm her down. XXXX

Spencer and Derek who had walked down the hall for their turn to see Christi stopped at the door at the conversation they overheard. They looked at each other with one thing on both their minds. They needed to fix this, and they needed to do it now.

TBC?

A/n, please read and review!


	15. Chapter 15

It's been a few weeks now and Christi is still with Dave but is staying with her father's twice a week. Reid was back at Derek's but staying in the guest room. The fighting had stopped…for now. Things seemed to be getting back to normal but Christi wasn't a hundred percent sure but she felt like something big was coming and she didn't like it. But until then she was happy that the fighting had stopped for the time being. She was starting to apply for college since she was in senior year.

She looks up from the book she's reading when she hears her dad's walk in and Spencer is yelling.

"There goes nothing." She sighs.

"DAMN IT DEREK THAT WAS STUPID!" Reid yells.

"He was going to kill the mother and her twins! What else was I supposed to do! Let him kill them! No! I saw an opening to disarm him and I took it! It's just a graze! I'm fine!" she hears her father growl.

Christi snorts and grabs her bag and starts to throw all of her stuff into her bag then goes downstairs and looks at her fathers.

"I'm done here. I'm sick of you two going at each other over stupid fucking shit! I'm not coming back! I'm staying with Uncle Dave permanently. So when you two grow the fuck up and act your fucking ages I'm not coming home and I don't want to see any of you. I finally have my grades back to A's and B's and working my ass off to get scholarships and being here isn't helping. I'm done here." She said walking out of the house.

The guys just stood there knowing she was right. She was working her ass off to keep her grades up and to get scholarships. She was taking four online classes, two night school classes on top of her normal eight classes she takes during school. She had gotten her GPA {**G**rade **P**oint **A**verage} up from a 1.0 to almost a 3.0.

"What are we doing Spence? We're supposed to be working things out for her but here we are bickering and trying to gauge each other's eyes out."

"It's really my fault. I freaked out right off the bat when I should have let you explain. Now Christi is pissed off, hurt and upset."

"Yea." Derek said softly taking Spencer's hand in his and has him look at him.

"I'm okay Spencer. I know I should have waited for the snipers and sharp shooters to be in place but he was about to shoot the mom and her twin girls. I couldn't let him do that. I wasn't thinking and I just lunged at him and tried to get the gun away and it discharged and grazed me in the side. But I'm fine."

He nods and leans into Derek. He had been terrified that he had lost him again.

"I think we should call Rossi and tell him what happened before Christi gets there then he calls Garcia and she'll get this to Hotch faster than a wild fire then he'll have both our hides." Derek said.

Reid nods and goes and calls Rossi and tells him what happened just as Christi gets there.

"Alright, I'll explain things to her. She just got here." Rossi said.

"Thanks Rossi." Reid said as they disconnected the call.

Christi walks inside and goes right over to her "uncle".

"They're fighting again. I can't stand it!" she cries.

"Sweetie, they weren't fighting. Your Papa was just upset and scared over something stupid your dad did earlier. They weren't fighting. Your dad tried to wrestle a gun away from an unsub and the gun went off and grazed your dad in the side."

"But why was he yelling and why was daddy growling?"

"I can't answer that kiddo. But they both realized they've upset you and understand that if you don't want to have contact or see them for a while. They completely understand."

She nods and says, "I'm gonna go bed. I'm kinda tried."

"Okay kiddo. Did you take your insulin?"

"Yea I did. Night." She said.

"Night." He said kissing the side of her head.

She goes and heads up to bed and falls asleep.

Meanwhile back at Derek's.

Derek and Reid were lying on the couch watching a movie with Spencer laying against Derek with his back against Derek's chest. Derek had his arms around Spencer's waist holding him close.

"How upset do you think she is with us?" Spencer asks shifting a bit so that he could look at Derek.

"I think she's pretty upset. By the way she acted when she left pretty upset." Derek said sighing.

Spencer sighs as well and leans against Derek and goes back to watching the movie.

TBC?


	16. Chapter 16

A few months have passed and Christi, Reid, and Derek were slowly rebuilding their relationship. They were doing more things as family twice a week and each of the guys separately with Christi. Derek and Christi would do more athletic activity while Spencer and Christi did more of the educational stuff. School had been going well for Christi and her graduation from high school was quickly approaching and her applications for college were all in along with job applications. She was nervous about starting school and work.

ƛ Christi's Graduation ƛ

"Christina Lynn Reid-Morgan." The school's principal called.

Christi smiles and walks across the stage. She goes and gets her diploma from her principal.

She goes and shakes hands with all the vice principals then she walks over ignoring her father's excessive cheering go bright red in the face.

She goes back to her seat and her friends look at her.

"Embarrassed?"

"Highly." She says.

"How's work going at the vets office?"

"Good. At first it was a struggle but it got the hang of it."

"Good." Her friend said.

Christi was truly happy for the first time in a long time. Her parents were fighting anymore and they were all happy.


End file.
